Academic-Capital

 This is where the magic of democracy happens. All the positioning, arguments (some of which are silly) and practical matters come into play. All decisions have an outcome and in turn change our options. This is where its all in a pressure cooker and the type of meal we will have depends on the "right mix" in the pot. 🍳=🥠 Ok...enough with the metaphors....you can read CNN's Live Updates

 Lots of different things going on here in terms of questions and answers. Lawmakers are seeking more answers on some of the activities of the Federal Reserve. You can read the highlights in ' Fed Chair Powell calls inflation ‘frustrating’ and sees it running into next year '. Sometimes watching videos like this gives you into the current thinking in government and potential policy pushes that impact the business climate.

The Escanaba Daily Press posted an article, ' Escanaba Mayor Marc Tall seeks reelection to council ' and his desire to run again for Escanaba Major. I have been watching the Escanaba YouTube Chanel for some time and I will say that I like what he is doing. That isn't saying I know anything about the other candidates (good or bad) but what I have seen is that he seems to be focused genuinely on developing a stronger community ( Leadership Characteristics are important and valued in society where generations can give back. ).  You can watch and get a sense of the different types of discussions that take place during the city hall meetings  HERE.  People/Institutions interested in investing in this town should understand the landscape and conduct at least an informal  Environmental Scan that puts local activities in the perspective of global change ( Not saying that is going to happen...its just a discussion on community leadership and environment . Maybe we will get lucky

We have problems brewing that range from extremism to discontent and our local judges have a responsibility to not only stand against such behaviors but also actively thwart them for a greater purpose beyond their bench ( When local judges become bankrupt, Federal judges should step in to ensure the Constitution is upheld and the integrity of the system is maintained .). Social connections, corruption, and disingenuous behavior often leaves some members of society wondering, "Has it always been like this?" and  "Are the laws nonexistence or inherently so warped that they no longer count?". We do know we can do better reporting certain crimes for statistical reasons and holding people accountable for moral reasons but.... A model of slow and fast change. Covid was a  non-linier fast event that shifted behaviors and tech. more change is likely on way.... How we handle similar issues will determine the smoothness of social transition. ( Sablonnière, 2017 ) ....if place

Detroit was a city on the move but has fallen to its knees due to corruption and societal bias ( Very sad it was my stomping grounds for a while ). Once connected to a wider world it went bankrupt and things began to change for the better....except it kept the same corrupt leadership.  Its kind of sad what happened to Detroit and we hope that it can regain its footing and become a city destined for a second comeback. That means we need stronger leadership and people who have the foresight to move beyond their self gain. The old ways simply aren't working and there must be new ways of managing our cities.  ...also its hard to have a comeback unless there are people in office that can foster that. Corruption Impacts Economic Growth A HMAD,  U LLAH &  A RFEEN, 2012 This is a problem that has been brewing for a long time and it is one that has been festering under our noses ( Likely why we were engage in political banter .). Good people have come forward to help change the landscap

 Its important to keep up with the news and take a look at some of the changes that are likely to happen in the state. You can take a look at plan below as it relates to small business development ( I'm looking at how things get proposed, changed, and passed in the State of Michigan. For the most part I'm taking a very neutral approach to politics in our state and country but like to explore people's ideas and plans to see what might be helpful and what might work/not work in future economic development plans . As new plans come forward it will be nice to see the logics and tools they use and take what seems to make sense . Its a "what does it mean" approach to any plan presented. ) Focusing on small business as it can help to rebalance overreliance on large companies (and the tax issues) as well encourage wealth generation and development of stronger business communities. You can read more of the plan below. Taken from the state website HERE .  FOR IMMEDIATE RELE

Congressman Bergman opposes $5.5 trillion dollar infrastructure bill. He makes a pretty solid point on infrastructure. Hard infrastructure and its returns to society are easier to connect in terms of benefits but that those benefits should be directly aligned to infrastructure needs. Other parts of the bill are likely to be opposed. Thus we might find more support among "hard infrastructure" and less among softer infrastructure ideas. As our 1st District Representative he has something important to say. Let us watch and find out what is going to happen in Congress and how these issues ferret out. That is the beauty of democracy is that we debate and people bring up their perspectives and that leads to better decision making in the long run. Robust discussion on where we spend our tax dollars and the type of returns we are going to receive as a society is beneficial. Being open to hearing more and the thought processes of why we agree or disagree with something leads to insigh

Senate Armed Forces Committee asking questions on Afghanistan. I have no comment, or judgement at the moment and am just watching to better understand some of the problems we are facing in foreign policy and application of military strength to achieve our national objectives. You can read more about about the Senate Armed Service Committee .

Criminal Justice is an important aspect of our lives and people want to trust that system to do the right thing in all circumstances. Sometimes justice becomes perverted by things such as close personal association, financial gain, racism/bigotry, and local politics. A free pass for bad behavior not only damages people but is essentially against our most American principles.  I've seen it...and I have seen it a couple of times! People make up stories for financial gain by exploiting racial and religious differences and some of the local law enforcement members engage in intimidating behaviors outside of legitimate legal concerns to support their friends and associates. These are crimes and shouldn't be given a wink and nod by anyone; politicians, officials, judges or anyone else.  O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern  impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness America, America, God mend thine every flaw Confirm thy soul in self control, Thy l

 Laws and legislature have a big impact on our business environment and they way in which we tackle our problems as a nation. I'm watching the news and trying to make sense out of some of the budgeting debates unfolding in Congress. I'm not going to go deeply into the politics of it all but I will say that the two bills sort of have different viewpoints/perspectives. One bill is focused on infrastructure and the other bill more on human elements. Its not easy to make choices over limited resources and we often must strive to do more with less but we must at some point make a choice.  If you want to get up to speed quickly you can read CNN reporters Katie Lobosco's and Tami Luhby's article entitled ' Here's what's in the latest version of the bipartisan infrastructure bill '.  You can also read the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act  and Reconciliation Bill  in their full. ( Concerned citizens should read and make up their own minds what they like and

According to the FBI violent crime such as homicides rose nationally to 21,570 indicating multiple roots of problems that seem to have gotten worse during the Pandemic. In Michigan, " ... there were 40,041 violent-crime incidents, and 47,327 offenses reported in Michigan by 630 law enforcement agencies that submitted National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data, and covers 94% of the total population. " FBI, NIBRS, 2021) The FBI has a number of reports on their site you can peruse.  Uniform Crime Report Reports FBI  You may also want to check out the Uniform Crime Data Explorer  as well as  Hate Crimes The problem with violent crimes is the willingness of people to engage in grossly inappropriate anti-social behaviors for self gain. I suspect many of these issues are based in life frustration, indifferent communities, and untreated mental health.  If you look at the FBI's site you will notice that offender ages are relatively young and lean in the direction of m

Joseph Minarik is Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Committee for Economic Development at the  Conference Board  (CED) and indicates that Federal Reserve are leaning just a touch h awkish ( he isn't completely convinced) and many of the problems we are facing are somewhat transitory. He expects fiscal support to eventually taper and there are a number of unknowns that can cause or own problems. We may want to watch the jobs report in September and see what happens when kids go back to school. ( The jobs report is only somewhat telling because as people return to work, or flux in service-Delta Covid adjustments we may reach a maximum unemployment rate where it becomes better to invest in technology development to fill the labor shortage gap pushing the economy closer to its own Renaissance when matched with market changes and government focus on innovative development that redraws our supply chains and global "investability". See New Paths American Ren

 Semiconductors are important not only to Michigan and the automotive industry but also to the nation as a whole. Essential equipment like semiconductors (and others) help ensure the rest of the system is functioning. When they are limited in supply the integrity of the entire production chain becomes questionable. While we may have outsourced much of that and didn't keep our eye on our own national security issues we do have an opportunity to change that trajectory. With cluster development I believe we can put semiconductor experts and leading US/International companies together to start an innovative build; the same can be said for other essential industries ( i.e. cluster related in competencies, resources, and skill .) I think my Delta County Michigan Transaction Model for Cluster Development might be of some use. Invest R&D   SubFactors   MultiCluster   DC Shipping .  Government/White House will now be investigating the semiconductor supply chain to discover any issues t

 Some interesting stuff below in terms of the State's ability to figure out its next step. I'm in favor of bi-partisan legislature when a wide group of stakeholders will benefit. While sometimes its necessary debate/argue key points much of what has been provided here makes sense. There is something called the the Michigan Infrastructure Council below. The more we know of what is going on in the state the more we are informed of the decision making process and its best outcomes.  THE MICHIGAN INFRASTRUCTURE COUNCIL ( Website ) About Splash The Michigan Infrastructure Council (MIC) is comprised of nine appointed voting members who are representative of one or more of the following: (1) asset management experts from the public and private sectors with knowledge of and expertise in the areas of planning, design, construction, management, operations and maintenance for drinking water, wastewater, storm water, transportation, energy, and communications, (2) financial and procurement